Press

PHILADELPHIA (January 22, 2026) – Following is a statement from Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Arthur G. Steinberg on the School District of Philadelphia’s proposal to close 20 schools and merge six schools:

“After months of false starts and poorly advertised and attended ‘community meetings,’ the School District of Philadelphia has released its long-delayed school closure and consolidation plan. The concerns of Philadelphia Federation of Teachers members, as well as families and neighbors, should by now be clearly understood by every decision-maker involved.

“We demand

PHILADELPHIA (November 12, 2025) – Following is a statement from Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Arthur G. Steinberg on passage of Pennsylvania’s FY2026 budget:

“After an embarrassing and painful four-plus months of gridlock in Harrisburg that forced school districts including Philadelphia’s to take on massive debt just to keep the lights on, I’m relieved that Governor Shapiro and legislative leaders in Harrisburg finally reached an agreement on the Fiscal Year 2026 budget.

“On behalf of the 14,000 educators represented by PFT Local 3, I’m incredibly grateful to the Democratic

PHILADELPHIA (October 9, 2025) – The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT Local 3), which represents 14,000 public educators working in the School District of Philadelphia, has endorsed the following jurists for Pennsylvania’s three statewide appellate courts:

• For the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the PFT supports retention of Justices Christine Donohue, Kevin Dougherty, and David Wecht.
• For the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, the PFT endorses Judge Stella Tsai, as well as Judge Michael Wojcik for retention.
• For the Superior Court of Pennsylvania, the PFT endorses Judge Brandon Neuman

PHILADELPHIA (September 25, 2025) – Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT Local 3) President Arthur G. Steinberg on Thursday issued the following statement on the Board of Education's vote to extend the contract of Superintendent Dr. Tony Watlington through June 30, 2030:

"At a time of declining enrollment and political turmoil surrounding school districts across the country, Philly public schools are attracting students and enjoying deep support in their communities. This achievement is the direct result of the labor and dedication of the nearly 14,000 members of PFT Local 3 – and to the

PHILADELPHIA (August 28, 2025) - Tonight, members of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT Local 3) voted to ratify the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the School District of Philadelphia. The agreement, which was announced earlier this week, will be in effect from September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2028.

“I am thrilled that we were able to secure these truly historic wins for our members, and now that the Agreement has been officially ratified, come Monday, our members will now be protected by our strongest contract yet,” said PFT President Arthur G. Steinberg. “As we

PHILADELPHIA (August 13, 2025) – With staff scheduled to return to work in five days, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT Local 3) on Wednesday called on the School District of Philadelphia to show greater urgency toward contract negotiations so that the new school year is not disrupted by a labor strike. A one-year extension of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), ratified in 2021, expires on August 31st – less than one week after the new school year begins for students.

“The School District has had ample notice of our members’ needs throughout the one-year extension of

PHILADELPHIA (June 25, 2025) – Leaders of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT), School District of Philadelphia, and Philadelphia Board of Education visited the state Capitol on Wednesday to fight for a strong budget package to address decades of systemic underfunding and to provide oversight and accountability of skyrocketing spending obligations on cyber charter schools.

PFT President Arthur G. Steinberg, Superintendent Dr. Tony B. Watlington, Sr., and Board of Education President Reginald L. Streater, Esq., met with Governor Josh Shapiro's administration and key lawmakers to press

PHILADELPHIA (June 17, 2025) – In a 94% to 6% vote, members of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers overwhelmingly supported a motion to authorize the PFT Executive Board to take appropriate action should the union and School District of Philadelphia fail to reach a contract agreement by August 31, 2025.

With a one-year extension of the current collective bargaining agreement set to expire on the last day of August, PFT President Arthur Steinberg called a special membership meeting on Tuesday to provide an overview of the status of contract negotiations with the District. Following

PHILADELPHIA (June 12, 2025) – Philadelphia Federation of Teachers (PFT) President Arthur G. Steinberg on Thursday urged the Board of Education to exercise its authority to support the School District of Philadelphia's efforts to control costs and win increases in state funding necessary to avoid a projected structural deficit in 2027. Following are President Steinberg's remarks as prepared for delivery at Thursday's Board meeting:

"My name is Arthur Steinberg, president of the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, which represents 14,000 unionized educators who work in the School District of